T-Mobile is granted extra spectrum to cope with coronavirus demand

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The FCC has granted T-Mobile additional spectrum to help cope with the extra demand caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

Reliable connectivity is more important than ever as people around the world are told to work from home where possible and self-isolate if they show any symptoms of the coronavirus.

T-Mobile will have access to more 600MHz spectrum for at least the next 60 days to meet internet access demand and help its network support things like remote working, healthcare, and education.

Neville Ray, President of Technology for T-Mobile, said:

“In trying times like this, we understand how important it is for people to remain connected – to family and friends, to resources and information, to their jobs via teleworking or schools via virtual classrooms. And we take our responsibility to keep our customers connected incredibly seriously.

We can’t thank these partners and the FCC enough for coming together to provide people across the country with the critical connectivity they’re relying on right now.”

The spectrum has been made available to T-Mobile from the FCC’s own inventory in addition to eight companies which agreed to contribute some of their own allocations.

Ajit Pai, Chairman of the FCC, commented:

“The FCC is dedicated to helping Americans work from home, learn at home, and connect remotely to health care professionals during this crisis. I would like to thank all of the companies that agreed to make their spectrum available for this important effort—DISH, Comcast, NewLevel, LB License Co, Channel 51, Omega, Bluewater, and TStar License Holdings. And, of course, I would like to thank T-Mobile for launching this effort.

This temporary authority will help T-Mobile better serve customers who, like all of us, are making significant adjustments to their daily lives to minimise in-person interactions and slow the spread of COVID-19. In the days ahead, I look forward to taking additional actions, in partnership with the private sector, to Keep Americans Connected.”

Chairman Pai launched the Keep Americans Connected initiative on Friday which saw a total of 69 broadband and telephone providers across the country agree to steps aimed towards keeping Americans connected for at least the next 60 days.

All four of the major US operators have pledged to support their customers during the pandemic.